Rarely these days do the food in someone’s hand and the farm from which it came become so closely intertwined.
This month, New York City officials passed a resolution banning the use of trans fats products in all the city's restaurants. This move follows announcements by fast food giants KFC, Taco Bell and Wendy’s to eliminate trans fats from their menu items nationwide.
At the same time, the government’s new rule requiring trans fat labeling, coupled with the public’s desire to eat healthier, is putting the squeeze on products containing trans fats on grocery store shelves. Along the way, food manufacturers and restaurateurs are looking for ways to “trim the (trans) fat.”
Where do these trans fats come from? Soybean oil is naturally free of trans fats. However, in order for soybean oil to remain shelf stable, and last longer in cooking applications, it must go through a process known as partial hydrogenation. Unfortunately, one consequence of this process is the creation of trans fats in the oil. Some competitive oils such as canola do not require this process, and hence remain free of trans fats, which creates a competitive disadvantage for soybean oil.
What does this news mean for soybean growers? While New York’s recent ruling--and a similar one under consideration in Chicago—may seem like just two isolated instances, keep in mind that if the rule passes, a food giant like McDonald's will need to reformulate its recipes if it wants to sell any French fries in New York City. When faced with this reality, these companies are likely to change their recipe system-wide, much like KFC and others already have, rather than create a special recipe for select markets. In that way, these rules could have a far-reaching impact on the food industry, and on U.S. soybean markets.
What can soybean farmers do? Vistive low linolenic soybeans were designed for exactly this reason--to reduce or eliminate the need for hydrogenation, and the resulting trans fats. Oil from Vistive soybeans provides excellent shelf stability, while reducing the level of harmful trans fats.
Stine Seed Company believes strongly in the Vistive program as a way to ensure a healthy market for our soybeans. Stine has been on the leading edge of the Vistive program since it’s market launch last year, and has been instrumental in developing Vistive soybeans that will offer the yields growers expect and the oil traits the market is demanding. For 2007, no other seed company is offering more Vistive lines for 2007 than Stine.
For more information, see your local Stine dealer.
VISTIVE Soybeans from Stine include:
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